Kinetic sand! A tale of sandy times.

Kinetic magnetic sand, composed of ultra-fine sand and dimethicone in a 98%-2% ratio, is a versatile sensory toy known for its moldable properties and structural stability (1). Despite the name, it lacks actual magnetic features. Ingesting kinetic sand can pose risks, including choking and gastrointestinal issues, especially in young children.

Analysis of Concussions with Persisting Symptoms Caused by Motor Vehicle Crashes in 136 Vehicle Occupants Shows that Females Are Vulnerable Road Users.

At the Canadian Concussion Centre, we treated 136 patients from 2000 to 2020 who sustained concussion plus persisting concussion symptoms (C+PCS) as motor vehicle occupants involved in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). This center specializes in the treatment of patients with C+PCS. The objective of the present study was to identify strategies for preventing concussion among vehicle occupants involved in MVC.

Melatonin and copper oxide nanoparticles synergistically mitigate clubroot disease and enhance growth dynamics in Brassica rapa.

Clubroot, a devastating soil borne disease affecting 30%∼50% of Brassicaceae crops worldwide, lacks effective control measures. In the present study, we explored the potential of melatonin (MT) and copper oxide nanoparticle (CuO-NPs) in mitigating clubroot severity in the Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis.

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Zinc Sulfate Alleviate Boron Toxicity in Cotton ( L.).

Boron toxicity significantly hinders the growth and development of cotton plants, therefore affecting the yield and quality of this important cash crop worldwide. Limited studies have explored the efficacy of ZnSO (zinc sulfate) and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) in alleviating boron toxicity. Nanoparticles have emerged as a novel strategy to reduce abiotic stress directly.

Dissolution and regeneration of starch in hydroxyl-functionalized ionic liquid aqueous solution.

There have been continuous quests for suitable solvents for starch, given the importance of effective starch dissolution in its modification and subsequent materials production. In light of this, the potential of hydroxyl-functionalized ionic liquid (IL) as a promising solvent for starch was investigated. Within this study, a hydroxyl-functionalized IL 1-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-3-methylimidazole chloride ([Dhpmim][Cl]) was synthesized, and the dissolution of starch in this IL and its aqueous solutions was examined.

Hydrophobically Associated Hydrogel for High Sensitivity and Resolution of an Interdigital Electrode Pressure Sensor.

Hydrogel-based flexible strain sensors have been known for their excellent ability to convert different motions of humans into electrical signals, thus enabling real-time monitoring of various human health parameters. In this work, a composite hydrogel with hydrophobic association and hybrid cross-linking was fabricated by using polyacrylamide (PAm), surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), lauryl methacrylate (LMA), and polypyrrole (PPy). The dynamic dissociation-conjugation among LMA, SDS, and PPy could dissipate energy to improve the toughness of hydrogels.

Skeletal Surveys in Suspected Non-accidental Trauma: Examining the Yield and Current Clinical Practices at a Regional Referral Center in West Virginia.

Introduction Non-accidental trauma (NAT) is a leading cause of pediatric injury and death. When NAT is suspected in children under the age of 24 months, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends using skeletal surveys (SS) to identify acute, healing, or old fractures and to repeat the SS approximately two weeks after initial imaging as acute fractures can sometimes not be seen on initial imaging. In this study, we determined the yield of initial and follow-up SS obtained for suspected NAT in children under the age of 24 months at a regional referral hospital.

AccNet24: A deep learning framework for classifying 24-hour activity behaviours from wrist-worn accelerometer data under free-living environments.

Objective: Although machine learning techniques have been repeatedly used for activity prediction from wearable devices, accurate classification of 24-hour activity behaviour categories from accelerometry data remains a challenge. We developed and validated a deep learning-based framework for classifying 24-hour activity behaviours from wrist-worn accelerometers.

Methods: Using an openly available dataset with free-living wrist-based raw accelerometry data from 151 participants (aged 18-91 years), we developed a deep learning framework named AccNet24 to classify 24-hour activity behaviours.

A reference-grade genome assembly for Gossypium bickii and insights into its genome evolution and formation of pigment glands and gossypol.

The pigment gland is a morphological characteristic of Gossypium and its related genera. Gossypium bickii (G) is characterized by delayed pigment gland morphogenesis in the cotyledons. In this study, a reference-grade genome of G was generated, and comparative genomics analysis showed that G was closest to Gossypium australe (G), followed by A- and D-genome species.

SAM: Self-augmentation mechanism for COVID-19 detection using chest X-ray images.

COVID-19 is a rapidly spreading viral disease and has affected over 100 countries worldwide. The numbers of casualties and cases of infection have escalated particularly in countries with weakened healthcare systems. Recently, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the test of choice for diagnosing COVID-19.

CUMS and dexamethasone induce depression-like phenotypes in mice by differentially altering gut microbiota and triggering macroglia activation.

Background: Although the link between gut microbiota and depression has been suggested, changes of gut microbiota vary largely among individuals with depression.

Aims: Explore the heterogeneity of microbiota-gut-brain axis and new pathogenic characteristics in murine models of depression.

Methods: Adolescent female mice were randomly divided into control (CON) group (n=10), chronic unexpected mild stress (CUMS) group (n=15) and dexamethasone (DEX) group (n=15).

Glyphosate Herbicide Induces Changes in the Growth Pattern and Somatic Indices of Crossbred Red Tilapia ().

The development of glyphosate-resistant genetically modified organisms (GMO) has increased the use of herbicide glyphosate by several magnitudes in recent years. It is now the most commonly used pesticide globally that affects aquatic habitats, especially fish. This study aims to add new knowledge on the effect of technical grade glyphosate on several toxicity parameters and to identify the most effective parameter in predicting technical grade glyphosate chronic toxicity (seven weeks) to fish, especially Malaysia's heavily farmed red tilapia.

Dielectric barrier discharge cold atmospheric plasma: Influence of processing parameters on microbial inactivation in meat and meat products.

Decontamination of meat is commonly practiced to get rid of or decrease the microbial presence on the meat surface. Dielectric barrier discharge cold atmospheric plasma (DBD-CAP) as innovative technology is a food microbial inactivation technique considered in high regard by food scientists and engineers in present times. However, cold atmospheric plasma application is at the experimental stage, due to lack of sufficient information on its mode of action in inactivating microbes, food shelf-life extensibility, whereas, the nutritional value of food is preserved.

Impact of agile management on project performance: Evidence from I.T sector of Pakistan.

Over the past several years, global project management teams have been facing dynamic challenges that continue to grow exponentially with the increasing number of complexities associated with the undertaken tasks. The ever-evolving organizational challenges demand project managers to adapt novel management practices to accomplish organizational goals rather than following traditional management practices. Considering which, the current study aims to explain the effect of agile management practices upon project performance directly as well as while being mediated through project complexity.

The Tale of Stridor and Wheezing in an Infant.

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis is a respiratory disease caused by human papillomavirus and can infect any part of the aerodigestive tract, but the larynx is most involved (Derkay et al. 2010). This report is a discussion about a 7-month-old male that presented to our institution for respiratory distress.

Suppressing the efficiency droop in the AlGaN-based UVB LED.

Optoelectronic properties of semiconducting aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) - based ultraviolet - B (UVB) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are crucial for the real-world medical applications such as cancer and immunotherapy. Therefore, we have numerically investigated the performances of AlGaN-based UVB LEDs for the suppression of efficiency droop as well as for the enhancement of hole injection in the multiquantum wells (MQWs). The influence of the undoped (ud)-AlGaN final barrier (FB) as well as Mg-doped multiquantum barrier electron blocking layer (p-MQB EBL) on the efficiency droop has been specifically focused.

Prevalence of fasciolosis (Liver flukes) infection in cattle in Zamfara, Nigeria: A slaughterhouse surveillance data utilizing postmortem examination.

Bovine fasciolosis, caused by Fasciola gigantica (F. gigantica) and rarely F. hepatica, is an economically important disease affecting cattle in tropical Africa.

Meta-Analysis of Catheter Ablation versus Medical Therapy in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation Without Heart Failure.

Introduction: Catheter ablation has shown to reduce mortality in patient with atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction. Its effect on mortality in patients without HF has not been well elucidated.

Methods: Thirteen randomized controlled trials encompassing 3856 patients were selected using PubMed, Embase and the CENTRAL till April 2019.

Fatal multiple outbreaks of equine influenza H3N8 in Nigeria, 2019: The first introduction of Florida clade 1 to West Africa.

In December 2018, suspected outbreaks of equine influenza (EI) were observed in donkeys in Sokoto State, in the extreme northwest of Nigeria bordering the Republic of the Niger. Equine influenza virus (EIV) subtype H3N8 was the etiologic agent identified in the outbreaks using real-time RT-qPCR and sequencing of both the partial haemagglutinin (HA) gene and the complete genome. Since then the H3N8 virus spread to 7 of the 19 northern states of Nigeria, where it affected both donkeys and horses.

Physiological, ultrastructural, biochemical, and molecular responses of glandless cotton to hexavalent chromium (Cr) exposure.

Glandless cotton can be grown to obtain cotton seeds free of toxic gossypol for use as both food and feed. However, they are not grown normally due to their lesser productivity and higher susceptibility to biotic stress. Great attention has been paid to biotic stresses rather than abiotic stresses on glandless cotton.

Figaro-tresses: A dataset for evaluating hair assembly features before and after cosmetic treatment.

The published database is composed of 1,080 images taken from 120 hair tresses made of medium blond, fine Caucasian hair with the aim to facilitate quantitative and qualitative studies about shampoo and conditioner efficacies. Two types of hair tresses were used: Caucasian hair which had not been subjected to oxidation with bleaching agents - (60 tresses); and Caucasian hair, previously subjected to light oxidative bleaching - (remaining 60 tresses). Since cosmetic products such as shampoos and conditioners are often designed to subtly augment hair assembly features via the carefully balanced cumulative effects of deposited actives, each tress was subjected to consecutive washing+conditioning+drying cycles referred to as .

Atrial Fibrillation is a Risk Factor for Worse Outcomes in Patients with End Stage Liver Disease.

Background: Liver disease is a risk factor for development of atrial fibrillation (AF). We aim to study inpatient mortality and resource utilization of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) patients with AF from a nationally representative United States population sample.

Methods: For the purpose of our study, we utilized data from National Inpatient Sample for calendar years 2005-2015.

Molecular Mapping and Candidate Gene Analysis for GA Responsive Short Internode in Watermelon ().

Plants with shorter internodes are suitable for high-density planting, lodging resistance and the preservation of land resources by improving yield per unit area. In this study, we identified a locus controlling the short internode trait in watermelon using Zhengzhouzigua (long internode) and Duan125 (short internode) as mapping parents. Genetic analysis indicated that F plants were consistent with long internode plants, which indicates that the long internode was dominant over the short internode.